wiredinusa July 2011

INDEX

Spain-based Isolux Corsan has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth $205.52m for the construction of a 428km long 400kV electricity transmission line for the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. The power line will connect to the national grid, transporting the power generated from a 310MW power plant under development by Lake Turkana Wind Power. Various financial institutions will support the construction of the wind power plant estimated to cost about 617 € m ($893m). Construction of the power line, which is supported by various financial institutions led by the African Development Bank, is scheduled to begin later this year and to be operational before the end of 2013. 400kV electricity transmission line in Kenya Picture : Graham Briggs

Carl Modigh has been appointed the new President of Habia Cable AB, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of custom-designed cables, and a subsidiary of the Beijer Alma Group. During the spring, Carl Modigh has been acting president of Habia Cable, prior to which he was CFO of the company for four years. Earlier, he also worked for Beijer Alma AB as head of business development. New president for Habia Cable

French cablemaker Nexans has revealed it will form a power cable joint venture with Shandong Yanggu. Nexans will hold 75%, with 25% held by Shandong Yanggu. Shandong Yanggu has threemanufacturing facilities producing extra and high voltage, medium voltage, and low voltage power cables and recently completed a major investment program to enhance its industrial capability. Created in 1985, it is one of the largest power cable manufacturers in China. The Chinese firm generated revenue of CNY1.3 billion, or €150 million, in 2010. The goal is to boost revenue to about €200 million within three to five years, Nexans chief executive Frederic Vincent said. “In particular, Nexans expects to double income from high-voltage and ultra-high voltage cables.” The transaction is expected to take six to eight months to complete. The CEO also commented that Nexans, which dropped plans to buy Dutch cable maker Draka in November, remains open to further acquisitions. Nexans forms venture with Shandong Yanggu

Copper theft is nothing new

Copper theft has always been a problem. Perfect for conducting electricity, it was ideally suited to support the telegraph boom of the mid-19th century, but stringing mile after mile of copper wire across open space brought the now inevitable security headaches. Records at the University of Glamorgan, Wales reveal that a report from the British government in the 1860s complained that copper’s “value to marauders renders it inapplicable for open air lines”, so iron wire had to be used instead. It had only one-tenth the conductivity of copper, but its scrap value was far lower. Copper wire was restricted to environments that were especially testing and in which only copper would do. Submarine cables, which had to carry signals across extreme distances under very testing conditions, were of the finest copper. They could be - the ocean depths offered protection against theft.

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